Kelly adamantly defended stop and frisk and said it saved lives, according to the New York Daily News.

“I believe this tactic is a lifesaver,” Kelly said. “It is also lawful and constitutional.”

He also said the NYPD's controversial tactics are justified because African-Americans are disproportionately the victims of gun violence. “African-Americans, who represent 25 percent of the city’s population, made up 64 percent of the murder victims and 71 percent of the shooting victims last year,” Kelly noted.

“As a city, we cannot stand idly by in the face of these facts.”

Rev. Al Sharpton said he was still against the NYPD stop-and-frisk procedures after Kelly made his remarks.

“We’re still vehemently opposed to stop and frisks,” Sharpton told his supporters and Kelly. “You and I will continue to have that debate.”

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